It's now illegal to repair your car body?

[JOEPRO]

I also see alot of let's call them "low end" cars and vans on the road with really rusty patches on the cills!

This is because they obviously failed MOT for rust and had to present them back with bare steel and welds for inspection. Then they just drive them on months later rusting away without having painted them over to protect them

 

[Roger440]

Links or copies of official legislation would be appreciated

I normally drive older / classis vehicles and don't think I've ever bought one that didn't need a few weeks welding to get it in a condition I'm happy to drive on the road. Occasional welding repairs after that for mots and bits that start to look a bit shabby are part of driving something 50+ years old.

The thought that welded repairs might be banned scares me as most of my cars would soon become illegal.


Hopefully this is either an exaggerated report or an over enthusiastic inspector

If you read the stuff above, the whole issue is there is no official legislation. DVLA just make it up as they go along.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Tester can only assess what they can see - and IME the majority of them are very reasonable at interpreting the regulations providing you don't take the pee.
Some of them have their own little foibles, but you get to know them and make sure everything is as they will expect. No point arguing or being a **** about it.
Usually if you present a clean car that looks like it has been well maintained and passes the emissions and brake checks then the chances are they won't dig too deep.

Last time I took mine in, the chap spent about 10% of the time inspecting it, and 90% of the time having a rant about the chancer before me that had took in a rust bucket of a transit with half an exhaust and no brakes and was getting irate it had failed twice despite the fact he hadn't bothered to rectify any of the faults.

 

[Morris]

I believe that this relates to vehicles going into the historic class after import or where an inspection is required. Seems that the new company doing inspections are a bit anal.

 

[Roger440]

Tester can only assess what they can see - and IME the majority of them are very reasonable at interpreting the regulations providing you don't take the pee.
Some of them have their own little foibles, but you get to know them and make sure everything is as they will expect. No point arguing or being a **** about it.
Usually if you present a clean car that looks like it has been well maintained and passes the emissions and brake checks then the chances are they won't dig too deep.

Last time I took mine in, the chap spent about 10% of the time inspecting it, and 90% of the time having a rant about the chancer before me that had took in a rust bucket of a transit with half an exhaust and no brakes and was getting irate it had failed twice despite the fact he hadn't bothered to rectify any of the faults.

As above, this hasnt really got anything to do with MOT testing.

 

[Dessieb2022]

I really wouldn't be surprised if welding repairs on cars are banned in the future, how else will they get us stubborn 'conspiracy theorists' into a nice shiny new electric car after 2030?

 

[dobbslc]

I really wouldn't be surprised if welding repairs on cars are banned in the future, how else will they get us stubborn 'conspiracy theorists' into a nice shiny new electric car after 2030?

Yep! All the well off politicians don't give a monkeys as they drive around in brand new cars paid for by us!

 

[Nomad]

I believe that this relates to vehicles going into the historic class after import or where an inspection is required. Seems that the new company doing inspections are a bit anal.

That could explain things - just about all my mot testers over they years have been reasonable (even if they fail the car for some reason)

Do you have any info or links about the new company, I'm looking at importing something later this year and if things have changed it would be nice to know In advance.

 

[Keithmac]

Have DVSA subbed their inspections/ SVA's out to 3rd Parties now?.

Have heard a few people having to present their cars for inspection when taking off private registrations.

 

[Burdekin]

I am a classic car enthusiast my solution to this of this change is real, and always - don't present rusty cars for MOT!

I have never had a car of mine failed an MOT for rust. But I have repaired rust on all of my 10 classics. I inspect them myself and if I see a rust issue I will not present it for MOT. Instead I will carry out a full repai retain my own photo evidence of it and take to test. They don't even know it was welded in most cases.

Recent example on my S600 shared here:

View attachment 396220View attachment 396219View attachment 396218View attachment 396217

If people don't inspect and maintain their vehicles and present for test with rust then it is what it is. Either carry out proper repair or scrap it.

Surely no rust on a old classic in the UK is clear sign it's been welded.

Just joking, lovely work and a sensible approach.

 

[Keithmac]

I'm not looking forward to when the Golf goes in, should be fine as it's all been over engineered if anything but you never know!.

 

[Morris]

That could explain things - just about all my mot testers over they years have been reasonable (even if they fail the car for some reason)

Do you have any info or links about the new company, I'm looking at importing something later this year and if things have changed it would be nice to know In advance.

It used to be SGS but that changed recently. For the life of me I can't remember who the new company are. I would suggest a plodge around the DVSA site may throw something up, I think that is where I found them.

 

[Morris]

Have DVSA subbed their inspections/ SVA's out to 3rd Parties now?.

Have heard a few people having to present their cars for inspection when taking off private registrations.

Inspections have been third party for some time now, IVA not sure.

 

[Roger440]

It used to be SGS but that changed recently. For the life of me I can't remember who the new company are. I would suggest a plodge around the DVSA site may throw something up, I think that is where I found them.

Its DVLA doing the inspection. NOT DVSA.

DVSA = sensible
DVLA = morons.

DVLA have taken it back in house as i understand it.

 

[Farside]

Welding repairs now being regarded as a modification is mentioned in an FBHVC article issue 2, 2023 but I'm not a member so can't link to it.

View attachment 396216

That stinks of two things...
1. A push to make it more difficult to rebuild/repair old cars and eventually bid them farewell off the roads entirely.
2. Somebody, somewhere, has a bee in their bonnet.

 

[minimutly]

I believe that this relates to vehicles going into the historic class after import or where an inspection is required. Seems that the new company doing inspections are a bit anal.

No, My take is that it relates to modifying vehicles, and if modified, said vehicle needs an I VA and a Q plate.
It came from the EU, we copied it, probably badly, but I don’t know that. In one fell swoop, has made the whole uk wide car mad, modifying industry redundant. Escort rally car sir, based on a 2 door 1300xl, with massive brakes, sequential gearbox, Cosworth engine, Atlas etc etc, now has to have a IVA, which it might find a tad difficult to pass... Minis - forget it, actually most from that era...
There’s forward thinking for you.

 

[minimutly]

That stinks of two things...
1. A push to make it more difficult to rebuild/repair old cars and eventually bid them farewell off the roads entirely.
2. Somebody, somewhere, has a bee in their bonnet.

3. Penpusher sitting at home working with one eye on the job..

 

[Keithmac]

I was talking about this to a customer the other day about forcing older vehicles off the road, E10 fuel is a prime example.

 

[ChrisBailey]

If I had a modified classic, Id just exploit the historic status and not bother with MOT and tax.

Its pretty silly really. I have a Q plated car. Its a kitcar and has lots of modifications. Nothing to stop me modifying it even further, not like any of the differences are recorded so you could even tell what its supposed to look like. I could lift it up and put monster truck wheels on it.

 

[the artfull-codger]

I've just been reading up on the NSRA hot rod forum that DVLA have decided that if any repair by welding is done on a monocoque car body shell that car has to go for BIVA inspection and probably be reregistered. Has anybody heard anything about this?

It would basically mean no more body rust repairs, for any modern car. A rust hole in my Mondeo sill would basically mean the car is scrap?

To be honest, it sounds a little far fetched, and I haven't seen any government documentation backing it up.

Someone I spoke to about my trike, who seemed a bit clued up on the subject, reckons the rule is referring to people repairing written off cars by welding in new sections, but it seems awful vague.

That settles it then we'll have to move to Perth W Australia, they don't have MOTs